Vacuum-molding apparatus



F. LOUISOT VACUUM MOLDING APPARATUS Original Fil ed Oct. 8, 192.0;

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2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v Fem-:24v F925 1,527,200

F. LOUISOT VACUUM MOLDING APPARATUS Original Filed 8, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented F b. 24, 1925'.

UNITED. STATES PATENT "or-rice.

' FELIX LOUISO'I, F Y ORK, N. Y., ASSIGNQR T0 VACUUM PULP PRODUCTS COR- PORATION, OF NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION OF.

VACUUM-MOLDING APPARATUS.

' Application filed October 8, 1920, Serial No. 415,651. Renewed July 17, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; FELIX Lomsor, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Vacuum-Molding Appara'tus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of articles from plastic material in the nature of pulp.

I In a prior application of mine, Serial #258,187, I have disclosed automatic apparatus of this character, embodying a series of perforate molds adapted to be successively brought into registenwith a connect-ion from a pulp supply tank, with means for exerting suction on the molds at such times, so asto cause the pulp to flow and to fill the molds. I have found with thisjapparatus that the results will vary more or .less in accordance with the supply of material in the pulp tank. It is one of the objects of my present invention to overcome this variable or uncertain factor and to'obtainmore uniform and constant results both in. operation and in molded product.

It is my aim also. to secure these objects in a practical manner and by relatively simple apparatus.

In a practical embodiment of my invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I have attained the objects sought,

' byinterposing 1n the connection between the pulp source and the mold, a constant level tank adapted to accumulate and to maintain under a substantially constant head, a supply of pulp suflicientto meet the 40 needs of the mold. 1

The above and other novel features of the invention will be considered more in detail as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings referred to:

Figure l'isa broken or fragmentary plan view, illustrating'an embodiment of my invention applied to the apparatus disclosed in my application referred to.

FigureQ'is a broken and enlarged vertical sectional View of the pressure equalizing mechanism. I Figure 3 is another sectional view, showingtheconnection between this mechanism and the pulp source and the mold; showing also in dot and dash lines, the former method of connecting the mold with the pulp'supply. I i

At 5- in the illustration, I have indicated a portion of the turn-table or mold carrier of my prior application, the same being supported and intermittently rotated by the shaft 6 and carrying a series of equally space r molds, a pair of which are indicated at 7 enclosed within the separable mold casing 8.

4 These molds are made of screen or other perforate material, shaped to produce articles of the desired contour and they are shown as connected by passages 9 with a nipple 10 whosemouth is engaged in the 7 rest periods of the turn-table by an extensible coupling 11 on the end of the pulp conduit 12.

In accordance with the .former practice in this art, the. pulp conduit was directly connected with a supply'tank, such as I have indicated in dot and dash lines at 13 in Figure 3. With this old style apparatus, when the valve at 14 in the feed conduit was opened to the interior of the molds .and 30 suction was applied to the outside of the molds through a passage 15, 'thepulp' was caused to surge through the pipe 12 with-a force dependent on the height of material within the supply tank. When the supply tank was nearly full, this force would be comparatively heavy, producing a slam in the molds, which tended to force the pulp through the mold screen'and also had a tendency to dislodge the moldsfrom thei supporting bushings 16. This force va'ri "at'the liquid was reduced in level and consequently the articles last produced'would vary from-those first produced, particularly as regards. compactness and thickness of 9.5 walls. This variance is overcome in the present invention by interposing in the feed conduit a constant level storage-and pressure-- equalizing tank'fsfijch as I have shown'at 17, having a flfoat 18 therein carrying a valve 19 cooperating with the pulp inlet 20. This float is shownns carried by a guide rodQl sliding in upper'and lower bearings 22' and. 23, the float beinglindicated as adjustably secured on said 'rod b'y means of a set screw 24 and -the valve being also shown as adjustably I secured on said rod by means of a set screw 25. By means of this construction, the float and valve may be relatively adjusted on the guide rod for the purpose of varying the liquid level.

The pulp is shown as supplied, in the present instance, from-a main 26 of suflicient capacity to furnish a. battery of several of the machines, the feed. conduits from the different machines being directly entered into said main.

In operation, when the turn-table is rotated to bring' the neck 10 of the mold passages intoregister with the pulp conduit, the valve in said conduit is automatically opened toadmit the pulp and at or about the same time suction is applied to the outside of the mold through a suction connection made with the passage 15 (Figure 3) This produces a flow of pulp from the chamber 17' up intothe perforate mold or molds. As

pulp is withdrawn from the chamber 17, the float lowers and opens valve 19, admitting a fresh supply of pulp to the chamber. The

parts are preferably so proportioned that the pulp, will flow into the chamber practically as fast as it is being withdrawnat the mold so that the head or pressure is maintained substantially constantand uniform. 1,

This insures that-the articles will all be of substantially uniform texture and each of substantially the same texture throughout. In adjusting the parts, the level of the pulpin the float chamber is usually fixed at about: the top of the mold, as shown in Figure 3,, so as to produce a simple gravity flow, the suction beinggoverned, with this flow, to 'matt the fibers sufliciently against the mold screen.

The level in the float chamber may be indicat'ed by an external gage shown in the form of a rod 27 projecting from the top of the chamber, and indicated as carried by a float 28 separate from the valve float 18. This gage float, being so independent, is not affected by any adjustments of the float and valve. a i

In order that the pressure equalizing mechanism may be bodily adjusted with respect to the mold mechanism I have shown ,,the same as carried by a special bracket consisting of a bracket'member 29 secured angularly and'vertically adjustable upon the supporting column 30 by a split clamp and bolt construction 31, this bracket member in turn carrying anupright post 32 which receives .the' split sleeve. 33 carried by the float tank, the latter being held at various angularly and vertically adjusted positions by the clamp bolt .34. This construction forms in efliect a universal mounting, enabling the float tank vto be bodily raised or lowered'and to be shifted angularly duit. In apparatus of the character described, an intermittently rotated turnin various directions. By means of these adjustments and the float and valve adjustments above described, it is possible to set; the apparatus to meet practically any con ditions. 1

With this invention it has been found possible to secure practically uniform and constant results in the manufacture of various molded articles and the apparatus, it will be seen, is of such a character that it may be readily applied vto machines in use at the present time. T

That I claim is:

1. The combination with a pulp mold and a pulp supply, of a feed conduit from said 30 supply to the mold, a storage tank interposed in said conduit and a float valve in said tank formaintaining the pulp therein at substantially the level of the mold,

2. The combination-with a pulp mold and tially constant level pulp tank interposed in said conduit.

4:. In apparatus of the character described, an intermittently rotated turntable, a pulp mold carried thereby, a'pulp supply, a feed conduit extending from said pulp supply to a position to register with the pulp mold, a float-controlled substantially constant level pulp tank interposed in said conduit, a valve in the' conduit between the pulp tank and'the mold end of the conduit and means for intermittently operatin said valve to open the conduit to the mol when the mold is in register with the conduit.

5. In" apparatus of the character described, an intermittently rotated turn table, a receptacle.carried thereby, a fluid supply, a feed conduit extending from said fluid'supply 'to a'position to register with the receptacle, a float-controlled substantially'constant level fluid tank interposed in said conduit, a valve iirthe conduit between the fluid tankand the end of the conduit, and means for intermittently operating said valve to open the conduit-to the receptacle when the same is in register withthe con table, areceptacle carried thereby, fluid supply, a feed conduit extending from said fluid supply to a position to register with the receptacle, a float-controlled substantially constant level fluid tank interposed in said conduit, a valvein' the conduit between the fluid tank and the end of the conduit, means for intermittently operating said valve to open the conduit to the receptacle when the same is in register with the conduit and means for adjusting the mechanism of the fluid tank to vary the headon. the receptacle.

7. In apparatus of the character described, a support, a bracket adjust-ably engaged on said support and provided with a post, a tank adjustably enga ed on said post and provided with a fluid inlet'and an outlet, a float in said' tank and a valve actuated by said float to contro the fluid inlet.

8. In apparatus of the character doscribed, a support, a bracket adjustably engaged on said support andprovided with a post, a tank adjustably engaged on said post and provided with a fluid inlet and an outlet,-a float in said tank, a valve actuated by said float to control the fluid inlet and a mold connected with the outlet of said tank.

9. The combination with a pulp mold, of a supply tank connected therewith and provided with an inlet, a float in said tank and a valve for the inlet actuated by said {ioat and adjustable with respect to the in- 10. The combination with pul moldingapparatus, of a pulp tank vert1cally and angularly adjustable with respect to said molding apparatus and a float-controlled pulp in the tank, comprising'a float and avalve relatively adjustable with'respect to each other.

12. In combination with pulp molding apparatus, a supportin column, a bracket having a clamp adjusta ly engaged on said column and provided with. an upstanding post and a pulp tank having a clamp sleeve adjustably engaged on said post.

13. In apparatus ofthe character described, a tank, a float in said tank, a valve actuated by said float, means for enabling relative adjustment of said valve and float. a gage float in the tank and independentof the valve float and a gage element actuated by the gage valve.

In testimony whereof I alflx my signature.

FELIX LOUISOT. 

